Blindness: An Invisible Disability — Kym Dekeyrel

Blindness is an invisible disability.

When she was 5 years old, Kym Dekeyrel was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative genetic condition that causes loss of vision.

In her 20s, she was diagnosed with lupus, carrying symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. During surgery to correct liver failure caused by complications from lupus, Dekeyrel almost died from excessive blood loss.

Although she survived, any remaining vision she had was gone, leaving her feeling “empty” and “lost,” until, with the help of her husband, Adam, she found CrossFit.

In an emotional, candid, and raw interview, Dekeyrel shares her story about living with blindness and accepting the reality of her disability, overcoming fears and defying stereotypes, and finding herself, confidence, and empowerment through CrossFit.

“It’s incredible that it took the sport of CrossFit for me to not only be able to admit to being blind, but to being proud.” — Kym Dekeyrel, 2021 CrossFit Games Champion, Women’s Vision division

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction to Kym Dekeyrel’s Story
1:04 - Diagnosed With Retinitis Pigmentosa At Five Years Old
3:04 - Living With A Visual Impairment
5:53 - Meeting Dr. Adam Dekeyrel
7:04 - Diagnosed With Lupus, Carrying Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
9:07 - Experiencing Liver Failure and Full Vision Loss
11:10 - Finding CrossFit
14:05 - Defying Perceptions and Becoming Empowered
16:49 - Appreciating Past Experiences
18:05 - A Message For Younger Kym and the World

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CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®.

Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-cros...

Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_sour...

Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near...

View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_...

Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/learn-more

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Produced in collaboration with Elliot and Lindsay Schrock.
Ali Samieivafa